We still have a few more videos to publish. This one is with Vince Calvillo of KHS Bicycles. He talks about the 2009 offerings that includes the Velvet, Team Alite and Flagstaff.

Popularity: 7% [?]

We caught up with Melissa Buhl, “World Champion of Everything” at Interbike. She answered a few questions for us. Did you know that she’s been dabbling in the Track Bike scene?

Popularity: 4% [?]

As we walked the grounds of Interbike, we visited with Vince Rodarte of KHS Bicycles. He explains why Moe is sexier than I.

Popularity: 3% [?]

This year’s common Interbike theme would be the color White. It was as if snow had hit the Sands Expo Center since there was an abundance of white colored products in almost every booth.

White bikes, wheels


Grips, saddles, pedals,stems, bars and we even saw white Nokon Cables…

We had spoken to our friend Wayne D. Gray, VP of KHS Bicycles and he told us about how this was a year where they carried bikes in the color of white than any other hue available. He mentioned that black is the safest bet for most manufacturers since the majority of people will purchase that color than a loud one like yellow.

I used the pic above to show us talking to Wayne, the picture below is a better one of Wayne. No I don’t have my eyes closed when I smile…and yes I can still see. Gosh!

You can check out more photos from the show HERE.

Popularity: 5% [?]

XC racing is not my cup of tea, but since I built a race bike, I might as well give it a shot. I am not podium material, my training is rather limited by an active family life, so my goal is to finish the race and not to finish last.

Here’s my racing machine, the KHS Alite Team.

Since I switched jobs, my bike commuting has been kept to a bare minimum, so what I’ve tried to do is utilitarian/recreational cycling with one of my favorite bikes, the DB Xtracycle:

Hauling up to 50lbs on a 40lb bike gives you a good work out! I’m also riding my Single Speed 29er:

Riding my ‘dumb’ (read GearE comment here) machine has increased my cardio and has helped me maintain my weight (by puking).

I also alternate between Mountain Biking and Road riding, long road rides help me build some needed endurance.

Last but not least, my racing machine will get 2 deserved upgrades:

A new XT crankset and some nice XTR shifting cables.

Race day is October 4th, Joe, Priscilla and myself will be riding the first race of the Triple Crown at Bonelli Park, it should be fun… as long as I finish my race and I don’t come in last!

Popularity: 8% [?]

This is the KHS XCT 535, a great bike…that’s pretty much all you need to know. But since we are professional reviewers, I am obligated at the same time privileged to provide our readers a thorough review.

Let’s get down to the meat and potatoes, if your a Vegan, the cucumber and carrots. I don’t want to bore you by repeating my first impressions of the bike, you can just read it HERE.

Here are the specs:

Frame
New Trail Design AL6061, 4-bar Horst bearing linkage 5.5″ Travel
Rear Shock Rock Shox Bar 2.1, air w/rebound adjust
Fork Marzocchi MX Lo, 120mm, variable compression lockout
Headset Tioga ZST2,Threadless,zero Stack
Rims WTB Speed Disc doublewall, w/eyelets
Hubs Front: Alloy disc, Rear: Shimano disc, QR
Tires John Thomac Nevegal 26×2.1
Spokes 14G black, 32°
Front Derailleur Shimano Deore
Rear Derailleur Shimano XT Shadow
Shifters Shimano Deore
Chain KMCZ9000
Crankset FSA Moto MegaExo 2-piece, 44/32/22
Bottom Bracket FSA MegaExo outboard catridge bearing
Cassette Shimano HG50 11-34 9-Speed
Pedals Wellgo M919 clipless
Seatpost Alloy Micro-adjust
Saddle WTB Silverado
Handlebar FSA XC-280B, 31.8, Alloy, 40mm rise
Stem FSA Alloy
Grips WTB Weirwolf
Brake Levers Avid FR5
Brakes Avid BB5 cable disc, 7″ front/6″ rear
Color Flat Brown-Gray
Frame Size S, M, L
MSRP $1599

About Me:
I’m about 5′7″ on a good day, I weigh about 190lbs, I’m husky and I can put on some hurt with any bike I ride. I am a Single Speed convert, 95% of the time I’m riding my SS. But I do love technical trails with ALL Mountain bikes.

Trails Tested:
The KHS XCT 535 has seen quite a bit of action in recent months. It’s been ridden at places like Turnbull Canyon, Fullerton Loop, Santiago Oaks, Aliso Woods (Woods Canyon, Rockit, Cholla, Coyote Run, and Dripping Caves).

Strengths: The XCT 535 is definitely a strong bike. It’s well versed to be ridden in XC conditions yet strong enough for you to take it through some of the nastiest and technical terrain you can think of. There are many great things about this bike that makes it unique. Well for one the Horst Linkage. I’ve ridden many Specialized bikes in the past and have always longed to ride other bikes with that same suspension linkage. Luckily the XCT 535 is equipped with it and its complimented by a 4 bar linkage.

A couple of things that stand out, the bike is REALLY REALLY fun to ride. Bombing down technical single track, rock gardens and 1-3 footer jumps makes this bike come alive. I really think that this bike has a potential to be ridden as a downhill bike, 4X (4 Cross), or Super D. Why? Well its simple really, the bike can handle just about anything you can throw at it and when it does, it laughs back at you, much like a fairytale giant would when the town peasants are throwing rocks and spears at him.

Let’s talk about the suspension. As you might have already read, the fork is a Marzocchi MX Lo, 120mm, variable compression lockout and the rear shock is a Rock Shox Bar 2.1, air w/rebound adjust. My favorite feature on the fork is the lock out. What’s cool is you can set how low you want it to lock. It also offered a very plush front end ride. The Marzocchi did an awesome job in absorbing the the trail. In fact this fork saved me from what could have been a REALLY bad crash.

Long story short, the trail I was on turned into a large rut. I had 2 choices, either ride the rut and go over the bars or try and get out of the rut, roll onto the embankment and hope that the suspension would absorb, and the tire would grab. Well sure enough, I’m writing this review injury free! The fork took in a few inches of travel to absorb the energy my husky self along with the speed I built up, and worked flawlessly. This is probably a good time to mention the grabbing power the John Thomac Nevegal 26×2.1 have. Man those things were awesome! I felt VERY confident taking any turn, riding any berm and the most technical trails with them.

Then we have the the rear shock. It’s butter. It’s the Shiz-nits. It’s Da-bomb! Seriously, the rear shock had no bob and it was really easy to set up. Once I dialed in the rear shock, I was happy. There really isn’t much more to say about it other than that thing worked well. Not once did I feel that the rebound was either too quick or too slow. As long as I followed the directions on setting it to my weight, sag and all that, the shock worked. But I’m sure the FSR linkage helped.

That’s another thing I do have to mention. The Horst Link suspension is a dream. I’ve been on all sorts of suspension bikes, from single pivot, to 4 bar, nothing compares to the Horst Link that is set up on the XCT 535. Its almost difficult to explain the big difference between that and a single pivot, but I’ll do my best. Single pivot, or any other 4 bar set up (without Horst) could be like driving a really cheap car…let’s just say a Hyundai Excel. But riding a bike with Horst, would be like riding in a nice big Cadillac. It really is plush and offers a responsive handling as well as a way that makes the trails seem flatter than what they really are.

Weaknesses:

I have 1 compliant. The bike is chunky. I did find myself having a hard time climbing with this bike on long and slow inclines. Perhaps I am just out of shape, but I definitely felt its weight going up some of the climbs. But here’s the thing, even with that, the XCT 535 does climb well. I never experienced the front end popping up during my climb due to a messed up geometry or too long of a fork. If you’re patient enough, and can/want to stay on the granny gear the whole time, the bike WILL get up the hill with no issues.

Coming off my single speed that weights about 5lbs lighter and geared with a 32/18, I had a hard time getting up some of the hills with the XCT 535 because I couldn’t stand spinning on the granny gear. However, there is a big pay off when you start to go down, makes all of it worth it!


Summary:
The KHS XCT 535 really is a great bike. Other than the weight affecting my climbing, then again I could lose a few pounds myself, the bike overall is an awesome ride. Going downhills is when the bike becomes really alert and responsive. I feel that the marriage between the parts and bike compliments its intended purpose of an ALL Mountain and Trail Bike. Just think of the frame and the components like a really sweet and perfect married couple. So sweet that its almost unreal. Well that’s the feel of this bike, its sweet.

The frame was pretty stout, meaning this thing was bombproof. One of the concerns I have for full suspension mountain bikes is how the rear end would have too much play, or lateral movement. The XCT 535 rides as stiff (frame) as a hard tail, and that’s good because the last thing I want is a bike’s rear end that hesitates or flexes.

The geometry isn’t too XC where you’re leaning too far forward, but its not too lazy where you feel like your on an exercise bike at the gym or on a DH bike, its a compromise of both worlds that gives the rider a comfortable riding position in which they can attack and be aggressive at the same time.

Priscilla even had the joy of riding the XCT 535 through Aliso Woods. Because of the XCT, she was able to ride down a technical rocky bed called Rock-It for the first time. Previous attempts would make her get off her bike and walk the rest of the way. But with the XCT 535, she made it down the trail and she knew that it was that fancy suspension that got her down the mountain.

Here’s our beef-cake being weighed…around 30.4lbs

If you watch this video, you’ll see me hustling the trail with the KHS XCT 535.

So you now probably wondering if I would recommend this bike? If you’re looking for a that can do just about everything in this world. Then the answer is YES. Go get one, you won’t regret it!

Popularity: 15% [?]

Last week I mentioned that I’ve got another build project going on at the MtnBikeRiders.com workshop. To refresh your memory, we basically wanted to build a bike for Priscilla that she can use for those epic rides that she enjoys, and for it to double as a race machine. So that meant that the bike had to be light enough, yet sturdy enough for this responsibility.

Let me introduce to you the KHS XC Team…that’s right folks…this frame is the TEAM issue frame that people like Melissa Buhl…um 2007 World Mountain Cross Champ rode…anyhow Wayne D. Gray, KHS VP decided to give us this frame to build up our machine once he found out our goal with the rig. Originally we wanted to work with the XC 604, but he insisted we take the XC Team, what? It’s not like I’d say no to Wayne D….

Ok so here’s some of the preliminary photos of the build project. The frame weighs around 4.5 lbs.

Specs:

AL 7005 super lite w/4-bar Horst bearing linkage,
100mm travel w/Rear Shock: RockShox MC3.3 air shock
w/motion control, floodgate w/3 position switch

XC TEAM…

4 bar Horst Linkage…sweet!

7005 Aluminum frame…that means its wicked lite!

Spinner Seasons fork with lock out and FSA Orbit IS Integrated Headset.

I’ve made some more progress on the bike, so I’ll make sure I post the updates as I go.

Popularity: 14% [?]

As you all know last Saturday was our official dress ride. This is basically the ride in which Vince Rodarte of KHS Bicycles paid his bet by wearing a dress during a ride at the Fullerton Loop.

On Saturday morning we had gathered a group of riders that were there to get a ride in as well as a gander at Vince wearing a dress. Vince showed up like a real diva, fashionably late. Right away we gathered everyone and I was able to present Vince his attire for the day.

Here’s Vince sporting his authentic Hawaiian moomoo by Guadalupe. I loved how the flowers matched his helmet, of course he rode in style since he was adorned by a pair of aviator glasses.

Not only was Vince a brave man for wearing the dress, but the dude was tough enough to haul his two boys in the trailer while riding a single speed!

Here’s the two Rodarte Mom’s with their kids.

Mandatory group shot by Joe Solancho.

We ended the day with a BBQ that MtnBikeRiders.com provided for those that could make it. Burgers and Dogs were flowing like Evian out of my grill.

In true MtnBikeRiders.com style, a video captured our festivities! Enjoy!

We’d like to thank everyone that made it to the ride as well as the great sponsors of the weight loss challenge. Apparently, Juan Diaz of Specialized Bicycles donated $200 to the City of Hope!

Popularity: 7% [?]

MtnBikeRiders.com set up a last minute ride at the Fullerton Loop. Priscilla, Moe, I as well as our friend Anthony decided to get a quick ride in for Father’s Day Weekend. I normally send out a weekly ride invite and one fella said that he’ll try to make it. Well what do you know, the dude actually got up early enough and made it…Vince Rodarte of KHS Bicycles. That’s right, my weight loss nemesis and friend, was able to join our ride today. It’s not all too often he gets to come along, so this was a definite treat for us.

Shown in order, Ryan, Lance, Moe, Priscilla, Anthony and some random stranger on the right side.

Vince rode his old skool KHS Single Speed. This machine was actually the motivation for my Sette Reken single speed build project (right behind the KHS). What made today a unique ride was the fact that 3 of us, Vince, Moe and I, were all riding single. Another thing that made this day a bit more sweet was the amount of KHS Bikes we had on the ride. Moe had his Solo One, Anthony was riding the AM2000 that we built, Vince was on his KHS, and well…me, I had a KHS fork, that should count!

Here’s the Three Single Speeding Amigos…

We’re always trying to have fun when we ride. As always, I try to document our adventures…enjoy the video!

Popularity: 7% [?]

Courtesy of VeloNews.

A pair of gravity veterans took home the USA Cycling 4X Pro National Championship in Angel Fire, New Mexico on Sunday.

Rich Houseman (Temecula, California) claimed the stars-and-stripes jersey for the pro men, while Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Arizona) won the title for pro women.

Houseman tore through the newly re-vamped Angel Fire 4X course, besting 30 of the country’s top professional riders. Blake Carney (Camarillo, California), Chris Boice (Albuquerque, New Mexico) and Joseph Backus (Mesa, Arizona) all had impressive performances, blazing through the early rounds and finishing second, third and fourth overall after the final.

In similar fashion Buhl earned the national championship over a strong field that included runner-up Neven Steinmetz (Boulder, Colorado) and third-place finisher Jessica Vogt (Boulder, Colorado).

Oh and she thinks I’m super rad!

Popularity: 9% [?]